I'm trying to locate and order a reasonable helmet that also has the "Cool" factor for an 11 year old. (He saw some DOT Street bike helmets with auto sunshades that naturally can't be found with a Snell rating for the same price).

Reading the rules on the site NTK still works off the Snell 2005 it appears. Most helmets on the market reference SA2010 or Snell K2010. It is my understanding Snell updates every five years so am I to assume any helmet with mention of 2010 in some fashion is better than Snell 2005 that is listed in our rule sheet and therefore allowed at the NTK track?

My little racer is about the same age and uses an Impact helmet. Know their Mini Vapor and Mini Champ are kid sized. They are also SA2010 rated. You are correct about the Snell rating changing every 5 years. If you get a 2010 rating will be "legal" longer but their heads tend to grow quickly when racing so you may be replacing it anyway. Regarding the cool factor they could always be custom painted.

Thanks for replying Eric, if you search YouTube for Bell Revolver EVO you will see the cool factor I was referring to lol. When the kid touches the button under the chin and the SunShade pops down automatically that was all it took. Unfortunately that is one of those modular helmets that only has the DOT rating on it that I can tell.

That is a cool helmet however DOT rating would not be acceptable for karting. Per my last tech inspection sheet the following are approved helmets. Snell Standards: CMR-2007, CMS-2007, K2005/2010, M2005/2010 or SA 2005/2010. You are allowed to use a helmet up to 10 years after its certification. Thus a K2000 would no longer pass tech, a 2005 you could use till 2015, etc. You may want to get a clear as well as a tinted face shield as some of the races are during the day and others are under track lighting depending on the season. Hope that helps.Eric